Hope for a Change
by Tempestas D. Uzu
Summary: AU - Her vision darkened, and she looked at the sky one more time before her eyes slid closed, a small smile lifting her lips. "I can grant you the chance to save them. All of them." - Uzumaki Naru died, and 80 years in the past Uchiha Nozomi was born. [fem!Uchiha!Naruto][good!Madara][TimeTravel][alive!Izuna] Co-Written with blue-hart
1. Chapter 1

**Hope for a Change**

**Preface: Cataclysm**

**/ˈkadəˌklizəm/**

_**noun**_

**a large-scale and violent event in the natural world.**

* * *

_When you were standing in the wake of devastation_

_When you were waiting on the edge of the unknown_

_And with the cataclysm raining down_

_Insides crying, "Save me now!"_

_You were there, impossibly alone_

_~Iridescent by Linkin Park~_

* * *

It was raining.

The drops of water splashed on her face as she lay motionless amongst destruction. A once beautiful land with luscious green fields with trees and animals of all kinds was now… nothing but rubble and potholes and blood.

Laying in the heart of all this was one woman; Uzumaki Naru had once been considered a beauty, with long golden hair, sunkissed skin, and the blue eyes that could rival the sky. But now her body was broken, her golden hair missing, and her skin a mess of burns and old scars. The only thing that remained was her blue eyes, now dark and haunted from the memories of the deaths of her friends.

The rain continued to fall, as if the sky itself was crying. The rain mixed with the red of her blood, turning it to streaks of pink that fell to the poisoned earth.

_It wasn't suppose to end like this…_ Were the thoughts of the broken woman as she stared into dark, clouded sky.

The air itself was corrupted with the Juubi's poisonous chakra, which had rendered all forms of life infertile, or dead. Naru was the only survivor, as the former Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune she was immune to the demon chakra.

It was more of a curse than anything, for she stood and watched as, one after another, her friends were felled by the toxin the Juubi had released into the air.

Gaara had been the last.

The former Kazekage had, like her, been immune to the Juubi's poisonous demon chakra, but he didn't last much longer than the others. He had sacrificed himself to end the Edo Tensei jutsu, which had allowed for the souls trapped to move on.

She was alone.

Naru had managed to seal away the Juubi after that, as it had been weakened significantly by the death of it's summoner. But such an action had not come without a repercussion.

She was dying; the temporary seal she had used used up the last of her remaining chakra.

_It wasn't supposed to end this way…_

Her vision blurred, and the tears came. They rolled down her burnt cheeks, leaving a stinging pain in their wake that would have bothered her once upon a time, if it weren't for the fact that her body was numb. She didn't bother even trying to wipe them off. What was the point?

She let them fall.

Everything that she had worked towards was for nothing; all the friendships, the bonds, they had died the moment her friends did… the home everybody had fought for was gone, she was all that was left and would be the last to fall into darkness.

She would welcome death with open arms.

Her vision darkened, and she looked at the sky one more time before her eyes slid closed, a small smile lifting her lips.

She just wished she could have saved them...

And the rain continued to fall.

* * *

_**Nothingness**_

When she opened her eyes again, Naru was confused.

_**The absence or cessation of life or existence.**_

Where was she?

"_You are Everywhere, and yet you are Nowhere. You are at the Between, my sweet child of the prophecy."_

Who -

"_I oversee everything, my child. I see all, I know all. I am All and yet I am Nothing. I am the Maker, as well as a Destroyer. You may address me as Kami if you wish, I have grown quite fond of the name your ancestors gave me."_

Naru looked around the vast whiteness for any sign of where the voice came from, but she was the only one there.

And then there was.

Standing in front of her was a pure white being, outlined in black shadows that seemed to be alive. It was featureless, except for the soft smile it wore on its face.

"Who are you"? Naru blurted out on reflex, despite already knowing the answer.

The being chuckled, "_You already know the answer, my child."_

Naru just stared, this being was claiming to be _Kami_?

The being tittered, "_I don't blame you for not believing." _It sobered, "_You have gone through so much already, my sweet child. You have worked so hard, for so long. You deserve to rest, however I have a favour to ask of you." _It told her, gently cupping her whiskered cheek. "_I can grant you the chance to save them. All of them. Their deaths were not meant to end as they did."_

Naru blinked, shock overcoming her features. "I-I can save them?"

"_It has never been done before, however you are different, my sweet prophesied child. I can send you back to where it began to go wrong, you will have the chance for a better future. You will bring the hope they sorely need." _Kami told her, "_You will live again, as a new person. One who never got the chance to live to begin with. I will send your soul back to inhabit the body of a child who passed before they could see the world." _Its voice dropped to a near whisper as its fingers collected the tears that had unknowingly dripped down Naru's cheeks. "_However, it is up to you. You could move on to be with your friends and family. Or you could start anew, and create a better world for them to live in. The choice is yours, sweet child."_

It was her choice? She could decide if she wanted to move on, or if she wanted to give her friends -her village -_everyone_ \- the chance at a better future?

Her resolve hardened.

"I'll do it."

Kami smiled, the kind of smile a parent might have when they were proud of their child's choice - a smile Naru had never before seen aimed at her, as it leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss to the young woman's forehead.

"_Thank you and good luck, my sweet, brave child." _

And the whiteness faded away once more.

* * *

**Uchiha Compound, October 10th - 80 Years in the Past**

Uchiha Tajima leaped to his feet when the elderly midwife stepped out of the room where his beloved wife, Uchiha Nyoko, was giving birth to their sixth child -two of whom (other than the unborn child) had not been killed by those damned Senju.

But as soon as he saw the woman's lined face, he knew something was wrong.

"I'm sorry, Tajima-sama… Neither mother, nor child, survived the birth."

Tajima's blood went cold, his beloved Nyoko -the only woman he had ever given his heart to- was gone? The mother of his children -dead? Their unborn child as well?

"Otou-san?" Tajima turned slowly to where his oldest living child, his heir, stood, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Little Izuna stood beside his older brother, clutching Madara's sleep yukata, large black eyes blinking sleepily at their father.

Tajima heart tightened at the site of his sons' faces.

"Is the baby here yet?" Madara asked drowsily, "'zuna won't go to sleep 'till the baby comes…" The six year old mumbled sleepily.

Tajima open his mouth but then closed it, he didn't know what to do, what to tell them. It both hurt him, and made him disgusted with himself not being able to tell them, so he did the only thing he could do; he left.

Madara watched his stony-faced father leave in bewilderment. "Otou-san?" A hand on Madara shoulder made him jump and turn towards the sad midwife. "Yuuki-obaasan?"

"I'm so sorry, Madara-kun, Izuna-chan…" Yuuki said quietly,

"Baa-chan?" Izuna looked lost as he stared at the elderly woman, who flinch under the two year-old's innocent onyx-colored eyes.

"I'm _so _sorry." She repeated brokenly.

Madara's eyes narrowed -_such a smart, smart boy, the poor child_\- "What happened, Obaa-san?"

When the woman didn't reply, Madara swept past the poor midwife who tried to stop the overly intelligent six year-old, but she didn't need to even try, Madara froze in the doorway.

Laying on the bed, completely still, was his mother, a white sheet draped over her face to hide it from view, hands clasped over her still chest.

Madara had seen that very same sheet and pose twice before, when his older brothers Daichi, Takao, and Yasuo had been killed fighting against the Senju clan (at the same time too - killed during Yasuo-nii's first mission).

His Okaa-san was dead.

Beside his mother's bed, was a bassinet, and with shaky steps Madara walked towards forwards until he stopped beside the bassinet and peered down at the tiny body covered by a pure white sheet. He reached forward with a trembling hand and gently pulled the sheet away from the baby's body.

It was a girl; with downy soft black curls surrounding an angelic and pale face adorned with three whisker marks on each cheek, she was adorable. But she was also dead.

Both his mother and his baby sister were dead.

Madara looked away from the tiny body, tears dripping down his cheeks and suddenly everything around him was so much sharper; he could see the dust motes in the air, he saw Izuna standing in the doorway, clutching Yuuki-obaasan's skirt, and could make out every individual eyelash that fanned across his little brother's cheek everytime he blinked, as if in slow motion.

A sudden coo caught his attention, and the young boy's head snapped around, eyes widening as they met bright blue irises.

The baby blinked up at him, beautiful baby blue eyes glittering in the first rays of sunlight that filtered through the windows. Madara reached forward, as if in a trance, and the baby's pudgy little hand wrapped around his finger, drawing it closer to her face.

Such hopeful eyes.

A gentle smile spread across Madara's face. "My beloved baby sister… Welcome to the world, Nozomi."

* * *

"_Hey brother, there's an endless road to re-discover._

_Hey sister, do you still believe in love, I wonder?_

_Oh, if the sky comes falling down for you,_

_There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do."_

_~Hey Brother by Avicii~_

* * *

**_THIS STORY WAS CO-WRITTEN WITH THE WONDERFUL BLUE-HART  
_**

**_Hey followers! It's Uzu with another story for you! Another fem!NaruXTobirama, too (I have fallen in love with this pairing). This story was born from a conversation between blue-hart and I, and it just kind of evolved from there._**

**_A bit of a happy accident if I do say so myself!_****_No promises as to when the next chapter will be up - this story isn't very high on my priorities list._**

**_We hope you enjoyed the first chapter,_**

**_~Tempestas D. Uzu~_**

**_~blue-hart~_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hope for a Change**

**Chapter 1: Flourish**

**/ˈfləriSH/**

_**verb**_

_**(of a person, animal, or other living organism) grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way, especially as the result of a particularly favorable environment.**_

* * *

"_I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily_

_I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make"_

_~I Won't Give Up by Jason Mraz~_

* * *

**Five Years Later, Uchiha Compound**

The flowers of the Uchiha compound's gardens were in full bloom, amongst the colourful blossoms sat a young girl in a beautiful blue kimono, with long black hair -which could almost pass as a midnight blue in the sunlight, and sparkling blue eyes, her pale cheeks were adorned with three whisker-like markings on each cheek.

Her tiny hands wove flower-crowns with expertise, her adorable face was scrunched up with concentration.

Uchiha Nozomi was the princess of the Uchiha clan,

As she worked her way through making a rather complex flower-crown for her eldest brother, the young girl had to pause as an onslaught of memories assaulted her once more. She had learned a long time ago that her dreams were never just dreams - that she had lived a completely different life.

Uzumaki Naru no longer existed, and she wouldn't for another eighty years.

"_Gaara! Don't do this! You're the only one I have left!" She sobbed, reaching desperately for the auburn haired man in front of her._

_Gaara hesitated, before placing a light kiss to the girl's forehead. "I'm sorry, Naru…" With a final, sad smile the last link she had to her sanity left her._

"_NO!"_

_The world exploded around her._

The flower crown dropped to the ground with a barely audible _thump_, and her hands flew to her head, her eyes widening as tears dripped down her pale cheeks.

"_Sasuke, what the hell did you think you were doing?!"_

_The dark haired man coughed weakly, blood staining his lips red as he smirked up at her. "I was… protecting you, Dobe."_

"_Why? WHY?!"_

"_I don't... want to live in a world without your light." His glazed eyes slid from her teary face to the sky above them. "I couldn't stand… the thought of a world… without you… You bring us hope, Naru...Tell sensei, I'm sorry… for all the trouble I caused him…"_

"_Y-you'll tell him yourself, baka!"_

_A small longing smile appeared over his face, "I can finally see them… again. Sakura… Itachi… My family…" _

_His hand dropped to the ground._

One memory after the other, they flew past her eyes as if she were the one living through them, until an agonized scream ripped itself from her throat.

It began at the pupil, blue seeped away into red, a single tomoe spun within each iris as she hunched in on herself, clutching desperately at her head as she sobbed out names of people she didn't know, yet felt sorrow over nonetheless.

The world blurred, then went black.

"-omi! Nozomi, can you hear me?!"

She came to with a hand gripping her shoulder, a frantic voice calling her name. Her eyes fluttered open to see her eldest brother leaning over her, face pale and painted with shock.

"W-what- Nozomi, your-"

A hissing noise to her right made her flinch on reflex, and she all but threw herself into her brother's arms as a snake slithered out of the bushes.

Nozomi had always hated snakes she couldn't explain it, but the mere sight of them made her skin crawl in revulsion.

"Don't let it bite me!" She wailed, cuddling against Madara's side as she glowered at the green reptile basking in the sunlight.

Her older brother blinked, his eyes moving from Nozomi's face to the snake that slithered past them. "A _snake_… You awakened your sharingan… over a _snake_?"

_Sharingan?_

She had awakened her sharingan? Even earlier than Madara, too! (Whose sharingan had awakened on the day of her birth)

"Sharingan?" She echoed, before a large grin spread over her face. "I beat you, Madara-nii!"

Madara chuckled helplessly, shaking his head in clear amusement as the sharingan faded from his sister's blue eyes. "That you did." The eleven-year old agreed, ruffling her hair playfully.

"Oh!" She exclaimed in remembrance, reaching for the colourful flower crown that lay beside her. She placed it on her brother's head with a flourish and a sunny girn. "This is for you!"

Madara released a long-suffering sigh before smiling at the beaming sister. "Thank you, I love it."

Nozomi bound forward and placed a kiss on her brother's cheek, "I love you, nii-san!" before skipping away, leaving her brother alone, surrounded by flower crowns.

Nobody dared say anything as Madara spent the remainder of the day all but sparkling, a soft smile on his face and a flower crown on his head.

* * *

**Six Years Later, Forest**

Nozomi hated being trapped.

As much as she loved her older brothers and her clan, she could not stand being locked away in the compound like some _invalid_ while everyone else went out to complete missions.

So she did what she did best; she took matters into her own hand

Gathering herbs and medicinal plants was the only way anyone would allow her to leave the compound at all, and she usually went with at least one guard.

But this time was different. The clan was too busy fighting against the Senju to spare someone to accompany her into the woods, as the fighting had grown worse over the past years, ever since Madara had befriended the Senju heir.

Madara had taught her the basics of the ninja arts after she had used her most powerful technique to sway him to her side.

Puppy-Dog Eyes no Jutsu was truly a powerful attack.

Madara's one rule had been that he would only teach her what she needed to defend herself; basic taijutsu stances and genjutsu only (which, for some reason, she excelled at -she could vividly remember that Uzumaki Naru could not use genjutsu to save her life). So Nozomi taught herself everything else.

Nozomi could remember things from her dreams about Uzumaki Naru; jutsu (something told her she shouldn't use many of these), taijutsu forms, fuinjutsu. But her body was not ready to use such techniques, which was why she defied the social expectations around her and convinced (_read: blackmailed_) her _lovely_, easily cowed, onii-san into training her.

What she had quickly fallen in love with was medical ninjutsu; it was useful, and it helped her help her clan. Using the healing jutsu always made her think of a hot-tempered blond woman and her pink-haired student; two woman she wanted to grow up to be like. Being able to help in ways that the strongest ninjas couldn't made her feel like she was making a difference, true she would have liked to be on the field with her brothers. With her medical jutsu she was slowly proving that she had what it took to be a shinobi, despite her gender.

Nozomi had no wish to be some sort of trophy wife, which was what she was expected to be, being the Clan Head's only daughter; she would much rather be recognized as a kunoichi.

The young kunoichi's train of thought derailed when she stumbled upon something that was most definitely _not_ meant to be in her herb patch.

A young boy in blue armour lay face-down in her favorite patch of medicinal herbs, he looked to be a year, maybe two, older than she was, with silver hair and pale skin that was caked in blood.

She made a surprised noise of alarm and rushed to the boy's side, she carefully rolled him onto his back so she could survey the damage.

The flesh in his upper left thigh was torn open, leaving trails of blood to gather underneath him. Both of his arms were littered with cuts, bruises and his left arm lay uselessly at his side, probably dislocated, no broken bones, but there was signs of a nasty concussion.

He looked terrible.

She quickly got to work, unpacking her medical supplies and carefully beginning to flush the wounds of any possible infection or poison.

When she was finished, Nozomi leaned back on the balls of her feet and prepared herself for the wait.

**POV Change - Senju Tobirama**

Senju Tobirama, thirteen years old and the youngest living son of Senju Butsuma, was in pain.

The last thing he remembered was being ambushed by a group of cowardly Uchiha, and being left for dead.

But he wasn't dead.

Eyes opening, Tobirama vision focused on a rocky ceiling.

Where was he?

"Oh! You're awake!"

The face of a young girl, possibly two or three years younger than he, appeared in his line of sight. She was definitely a pretty little thing, with a pale face, big blue eyes, and strange whisker-like markings on her cheeks. Her hair was long and black, and she wore a high-collared dark blue yukata.

However, his eyes narrowed when he caught sight of the clan symbol stitched onto her shoulder.

_An Uchiha._

(He absentmindedly noted that he had never seen an Uchiha with blue eyes before)

"-we shouldn't be rude, so I'll introduce myself first. My name is Uchiha Nozomi, who are you?"

Tobirama blinked and struggled to sit up, red eyes locked on the beaming face of the Uchiha. _What the hell?_

Nozomi just grinned at the bemused, and slightly horrified look Tobirama was giving her. "As you can clearly see my clan's symbol Senju-san, there's really no point in hiding who we are."

Tobirama couldn't argue with the logic, but it still unnerved him how easily this girl could break clan law.

"I needed you to trust me." She stated plainly, "If I hid who I was, you would trust me even less than you do now."

Tobirama was about to make a nasty retort, but he was cut off by the Uchiha girl shoving a bundle of something in his mouth. He gagged in disgust and spat it back out, "Dear Kami _woman_! Are you trying to kill me?"

The cheeky grin that the Uchiha girl was giving him sure didn't help his temper, and what kind of Uchiha _smiled_?

"Now then," The smile was suddenly frigid and frightening, and it reminded him of his mother. "You're being very impolite Senju-san."

Deciding to go along with her wishes for the moment, he scowled, "Senju Tobirama." he introduced himself sharply, at her cold smile he cowered a little. "My name is Senju Tobirama." He said weakly, feeling much like a child being scolded by his mother for dumping snakes in Hashirama's bed again.

The cold smile went back to a warm one, much to Tobirama relief (not that he'd ever admit it) and he relax a bit, because as much as she didn't act like it, she was still an Uchiha.

"Senju Tobirama - one of the clan head's sons?" She asked with a bemused grin, as if she didn't know how to react. "

Tobirama scowled darkly, "One of two now, thanks to your clan." He spat bitterly.

Uchiha Nozomi's smile vanished, her eyes becoming sad. "_There are not winners in war, only survivors…_" It sounded as if she was quoting something, "Your hatred doesn't surprised me. My clan has kill many of yours, however, your clan as killed just as many of my clan."

Tobirama was startled, this kid couldn't be any older than he was and yet she was spouting words of wisdom? She was what - ten? She couldn't be any older than eleven!

He had to admit though, the girl did make a grudgingly good point, despite her age... but there was one thing that bothered him.

"Why did you help me?" He asked faintly, and a small, hesitant smile lifted the corners of the Uchiha's mouth.

"Because you needed it." The Senju was floored at the response, and the girl didn't end there. "I promised myself I would never leave someone who needs help to suffer on their own. And I never go back on my word. That's my nindo! My ninja way!"

* * *

_**Heyo our dear followers, here's the next installment of Hope for a Change.  
**_

_**This chapter was mostly written by blue-hart, and I must say, they did a pretty good job ;).**_

_**Hope you enjoyed it,**_

_**~Uzu &amp; blue-hart**_


End file.
